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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines -- A party-list lawmaker belonging to the House of Representatives' progressive bloc said on Tuesday that former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's entire machinery is behind Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona’s belligerence on the impeachment trial.
"From all indications, Gloria’s machinery is going all-out for Corona, starting with his defense panel, his PR handlers, his coordinators for mass mobilizations and even the new House minority’s efforts to investigate the prosecution for getting hold of Corona’s bank statements," said Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casino.
"It must be remembered that former SC Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas was also the head of the defense panel for former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who we also impeached. In the same light, Gutierrez and Corona have the same PR operators which are also linked to the former president," he said.
Casino said there are individuals who also confirmed that the former president "was the one who funded the last rally supporting Corona, which supposedly gathered around 7,000 warm bodies, at P300 per person. This would amount to P2.1 million in just one offing."
"Even with his millions, Corona simply does not have enough clout, money and experience to orchestrate the ongoing campaign to thwart the ends of the impeachment trial. It is GMA and her political and propaganda teams who are apparently supporting Corona," he said.
"As a matter of survival, Gloria has to bet all her cards on Corona. Her support explains to a great extent Corona's belligerence despite clear evidence of his guilt," he added.
Meanwhile, House Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo "Erin" Tanada III, one of the spokesmen for the prosecution, said the defense panel "is now merely relying on loopholes in the Foreign Currency Deposit Act (FCDA), and other procedural technicalities, to escape conviction."
Tanada also observed that the chief magistrate "seems determined to bend, break, and disregard the SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth) Law in order to protect his personal interest over that of the greater good."
"A lot of our countrymen were extremely surprised when the (Philippine Savings Bank) manager testified that CJ Corona withdrew the three time deposits worth an estimated P36 million all in one day, and afterwards, deposited all that amount in a checking account," he pointed out.
Tanada said the people will definitely "see through that scheme," and that they will judge the chief justice based on clear discrepancies in his SALN, and his complete lack of transparency.
"It is doubtful the people will believe the protestations of the defense that the money belongs to Basa Guidote Enterprises Inc. and it was withdrawn merely so as not to risk the corporation's money in the impeachment proceeding," he said.
